Atal's comeback talk triggers speculation

BHOPAL: It was a typical Vajpayee salvo. In keeping with his reputation of springing surprises, even on his own party, ailing former PM Vajpayee on Friday delivered a "message" to the BJP national executive that served to spur factional feuding within the saffron outfit over who will lead it in the next general elections.With his absence from the Bhopal deliberations due to infirmities related to ill health attracting considerable comment, Vajpayee's missive to the executive was eagerly awaited. He did not disappoint those hoping for a Vajpayee "special" by declaring he was "getting better" and that "soon I will be able to be with you". The comeback promise, even as his movements remain extremely restricted, was the first strike.Then, even as his four-paragraph statement made token references to the need for "collective thinking" and for BJP to measure up to "high public expectations". A few lines from a poem previously composed by Vajpayee set off more fireworks. A line of the composition -- "apno ke vighno ne ghera (surrounded by the troubles created by our own)" -- were immediately read as a pointer to the power struggle in the BJP. With BJP chief Rajnath Singh increasingly isolated in the face of a resurgent Leader of Opposition L K Advani, the former premier's remarks, which were read out to the executive, promptly became more fodder for the party's inner mills. With an impressive array of leaders, including nearly all of BJP's Gen Next, up in arms, and RSS pushing for collective decision-making in the party, the Rajnath camp was quick to argue that Vajpayee's message contained no hint of anointing a successor and that it could also mean that a younger leader could be considered.The message also generates some speculation on the count that the BJP patriarch has been advised complete rest. But the bid to use the message for settling factional scores might only delay matters from coming to a head. Jaswant Singh, former finance minister and a Vajpayee confidant, pointed out that Advani was the only leader in the party who could stand next to the former PM. Asked about the leadership issue, he said, "For years Vajpayee has been our supreme leader and Advani has been his right hand man. This has been the case for 50 years."Jaswant Singh's suggestion that Advani was the natural choice for leader if Vajpayee was not in the field reflects a growing consensus in the party. Even though Vajpayee has spoken of "being back", it is clear to most that his role in active politics is going to be very limited.Jaswant Singh also seemed to suggest the same, even as he pointed out that Vajpayee was still around. The former minister said there was "no confusion" over the leadership issue. At the afternoon briefing, party spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad refused to interpret Vajpayee's intervention, maintaining that "both Atalji and Advaniji are our tallest leaders" and that the decision on BJP's prime ministerial candidate would be taken at an appropriate moment.

The former PM, despite being incapacitated, has managed to muddy the leadership issue in the BJP. With RSS and several BJP leaders veering around to the view that Rajnath would not be able to tackle the task of leading a campaign, pepping up the organisation and sewing critical alliances, the party chief faces marginalisation. He would now be looking for a reprieve that can hold back the advance of his rivals whom he has tried to sideline. Jaswant Singh's statement did elicit some reactions from executive members. Some, like Ram Naik, tended to agree that Advani was the natural leader after Vajpayee, others like Tehelka-tainted Bangaru Laxman said the matter had not been discussed. It now remains to be seen how far those opposed to Rajnath will push to ensure that the executive indicates that Advani's emergence as eminent leader is now irreversible.